L400 dual battery setup (leisure)

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Hey all,

I'm looking at getting an ARB fridge next year and if I do I'd like a dual battery setup so I don't have to worry about running the fridge. My questions are thus:

If I went to the stock L400 dual bat set up, is one of those little guys up to the task of starting my precious beast in the dead of winter?
I know that I could wire them in so both do the starting and only one runs the fun stuff but I would rather keep the wiring dead simple.

Has anyone jammed a second large battery under the hood? I can't imagine where it would fit, but I would really rather not have it inside. I'm not quite ready to do a full build out of the rear with a battery box and all that jazz. I could possibly build something and have it between the front seats though.

Anyone have an RV-esque system? Let's see pictures!

[Big-Bird]

Please clarify:

Is your Delica a single or dual battery setup currently?

I know a Pajero owner who has 3 batteries....2 under the hood for the cold starts and a deep cycle for their fridge when they go camping. He can isolate any of them and even use the deep cycle to boost his amps for starting in extreme cold. He had a good system with isolators and relays. All you could see was the battery box in the cargo area.

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Big-Bird, we need to have a button to push so all your posts of knowledge can be easily accessed.

I currently have a single battery under the hood.

[Big-Bird]

The L400 can accommodate a dual battery setup...in fact most of them have this configuration...rather surprised yours does not have this.

Since your Deli starts fine on one battery (hopefully the amps are high on this unit)

A second battery can be installed under the hood and if you read up on Battery Isolation you should be able to use the 2nd unit for starting as needed and isolate it to run a fridge and still leave the primary battery fully charged.

Isolators, switches and relays are available from Princess Auto, Canadian Tire. Get good quality parts for this.....don't go cheap on this stuff.

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Well, the one battery I have is gigantic. It sits lengthwise on the tray and takes up the whole thing. I just didn't know if the smaller batteries had less CCAs? Is battery size necessarily an indicator of it's power?

My van is only an Exceed, no special trim. So that may be why I have the single battery.

The more I look into something like an ArkPak though, the better that seems. An easily removable dual set up. I got a line on a used fridge so I may have one earlier than I was planning.

[Big-Bird]

I have duals in my L400 and each one is 850CCA. Lots of reserve to flip the engine over.

I bought a set of Canadian Tire/Exide units. Been solid for 2 years. Just barely enough room for them in the tray in their stock position.

Here's the before pic.

[thelazygreenfox]

Mat
What fridge are you getting?

My 3 way RV fridge is used when temps are above 25 deg C. and trips longer than 1 week. Otherwise my Coleman extreme 5 cooler holds ice 5 days for 3 person food. At $78 and portable it's just more convenient than the fridge.

TLWF

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Big-bird,
That's good to know about the CCA's. I'm sure one of those suckers could turn it over no problem. This is what mine looks like;
IMG_7525 by TheMacrobius, on Flickr

Wayne,
I'm picking up an ARB compressor fridge/freezer this week (hopefully). It can run on 12v or 110. I've wanted one for a long time but at almost $1000 new, it was never going to be affordable. Last week I found one on Kijiji for a hell of a lot less so I'm going to snatch it up. The plan will be to have perishables in that and BEER in the ice chest.

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SCORE!!!
IMG_7554 by TheMacrobius, on Flickr

The guy I bought this from makes custom off-road camping trailers as a hobby. These are some leftovers. I got the fridge, slide, and both stoves for less than half what it would all cost new. Hooray!!

[prairiefire]

Way to go Matt!!!! That is a total score.

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Another question for you wiring gurus out there.

I haven't done the two batter switch yet, but I am in the process of ordering a Blue Sea fuse box and some extra goodies I'm planning on wiring up. I've also just bought a (my first) 400w amp and sub.

So, if I need to bring power from the battery for the amp and the fuse box, would it make sense to bring one power line off the battery, and then split it to the amp and the fuse box? With separate fuses after the split. Or, should I run a dedicated power supply to each?

I'm just trying to keep it as clean and tidy as possible.